<p>I'm getting ready to apply to physics grad schools. I already can get 2 LORs from profs who I did research with. Now I just need my 3rd LOR. I graduated last December, so the profs I'm considering asking likely forgot about me. I've narrowed it down to 2 profs. If I shouldnt ask them, then I'll have to just ask another prof I just took a class with but rarely saw</p>
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<li><p>I took a yearlong-sequence of classes with him, ending spring 2009. He seemed to know the names of most of the students in the class, but I doubt he remembered mine or even remembers my face. Also, I emailed him last week for grad school advice, but he didn't answer. But I got to know the TA well as I talked to him alot during discussion sections for help with homework and concepts. Even now, a year and a half later, I emailed him for advice about grad schools, and he sounded happy to try to help me out, so he still remembers me well. I saw a recent thread about getting an LOR from a post-doc, and having the PI write it on his behalf. Can that work in this situation as well? </p></li>
<li><p>I took a lab course with him last fall and got an A- in the class. But he only gave lectures, and was never around for the lab component of class. However, he may remember me as the class had only 10 students, and we all gave powerpoint presentations at the end. However, I fell asleep during class a few times. The TA knows me better as he was always present during lab. But I'm worried that if I ask this prof for an LOR, he might ask the TA to ask who I was. I doubt he'll say good things about me since I showed disinterest in the experiments as I was lost and confused, and my lab partner did most of the work.</p></li>
<li><p>I could just ask another prof I took a class with. They won't remember me and won't have much to offer</p></li>
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<p>For situation #1 why not just tell the TA you would like a rec from that prof and that you are worried he won’t remember you. See if the TA is comfortable to remind you to the prof, perhaps he will have suggestion for you or will talk to the prof on your behalf. I think it is a little presumptive to go as far as to ask the TA to write it for the prof. Seems better to ask the TA to give the prof some notes on you. Then if TA agrees, when you write the prof to ask for the LOR, you can say that you worked closely with that TA and that TA has volunteered to provide the prof with some notes. If the prof wants the TA to write it he will ask, but I doubt that will happen, profs are used to writing it and he will know what to say.</p>
<p>I would choose Prof. #1 because you’ve spent the most time with him. I’ve been in similar situations where the professor did not know my name, but recognized me when I went to see him and remembered my performance in class. Don’t worry too much about not hearing back from him. One of my references took three weeks to reply. Professors are busy people, and he might just be out of his office. Send him another email in a week or two.</p>
<p>oops, I made a typo in my original post. Its been more like a month ago, not one week ago, that I emailed the prof #1. Also, just to clarify, I hardly spent any time with the prof. It was the TA that I spent alot of time with. I also forgot to mention that I fell asleep more than a few times during lecture and TA discussion. Luckily, the TA didn’t seem to angry by it, as I asked him lots of questions during discussion and he always seemed happy to help me. Anyways, I will take your comments and email the TA to ask if the prof can write me an LOR, as the TA remembers me much better</p>
<p>ok I emailed the TA, and he suggested that I go to the prof’s office hours. But since I live about an hour away from school, thats rather inconvenient. I emailed back to the TA to ask for other suggestions, but he hasn’t responded. What should i do?</p>
<p>I would call the professor during their office hours. The worst that can happen is that the professor would say they aren’t able to write the letter, but most likely that won’t be the case. It’s not always easy to get in contact with previous professors but you have to be persistent. </p>
<p>First, you should definitely follow up with another email. If you have not received a response in 3 days then call one a day until you reach the professor. Introduce yourself over the phone, offer to send them a copy of your CV, and make sure to mention that you spoke with the TA. Finally, if you aren’t able to reach him by phone, I would make the trip to visit him during office hours. 1 hour is not a long drive for a letter that is necessary for your applications.</p>
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<p>I agree. I would just send a CV and a picture with the follow-up email. That way he can look at it and try to remember who you are. You’re CV might impress him so he might be more inclined to give you a positive response. [You</a> should be brief in your emails.](<a href=“http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd072508s.gif]You”>http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd072508s.gif)</p>
<p>I sent him another email, this time asking for a LOR, and kept the message much shorter. He agreed to it and just asked for my CV and transcript (didn’t ask about a photo). His email was almost as short as that phD comic above, so he didn’t say if he remembers me or not. But I’ll take the LOR anyways. Thanks for the help guys</p>
<p>In addition to your CV, I would also venture to say it might be helpful to send a statement of purpose. You could also write a short biography about things that will be helpful for him to know about you. I’ve even had some professors or employers have me write my own recs and then send to them and they edit in their own information. It’s kind of weird, but I think it happens a lot. I didn’t have to do that this cycle, though. I’m glad because I don’t ever know what to say.</p>
![http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd072508s.gif]You](http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd072508s.gif%5DYou){kind=link}
